


New beginnings

by NessieFromSpace



Series: Vaughn Appreciation Day [5]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, August used to bully Vaughn when they were younger, Detention AU, M/M, Mention of Past Abuse, Personal Growth, Vaughn's little sister is diabetic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 06:05:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19042651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NessieFromSpace/pseuds/NessieFromSpace
Summary: Vaughn gets detention for being late to school and now he's in detention with the bully of his past.





	New beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> An answer for an ask on tumblr.  
> Prompt: "i was supposed to send something specific but i cant remember but.... some tasty vaugust highschool au fluff?"

Vaughn had had a horrible day. Everything about his morning had gone wrong, they had run out of his younger sister’s insulin, which had made him late for school as he’d had to rush to the pharmacy and get it. Then he’d had to get her ready for school and drop her off since she’d missed her bus. He had missed his first class and had arrived halfway through his second class. His teacher, angry at the disruption, had immediately given him detention without letting Vaughn explain.

He had to ask Yvette to pick his sister up and watch her until he was finished. He had arrived early to detention, signing in and picking a spot by the window. He stared out it.

The teacher watching the class frowned at him. “Shouldn’t you be doing homework?”

Jumping, Vaughn fumbled with his words. “No! Uh, I mean, I already did it.”

The teacher was skeptical. “Get your homework out and do it.”

“I can’t, I already finished it.”

“Then you’ll have no problem showing me.” As the teacher stood, the door opened and the nightmare from Vaughn’s childhood stepped through. August, clad in torn jeans, a band shirt Vaughn didn’t recognize, and a leather jacket, flipped the teacher off as he passed by and found a desk in the back.

Growling, the teacher scribbled something on the sheet. “Alright you miscreants, no talking and no leaving the class, no matter what.” Then, they left.

Vaughn frowned, but then pulled out a book to read. He blatantly ignored August, who had spent all the years they’d lived next door to each other picking on and bully him. From stealing his homework and ripping it up to shoving him away from the swings and calling him names. Vaughn had never understood why until he’d seen his mom and found her to be a horribly abusive woman. That had been the day August had punched him and then left him alone indefinitely.

And now he was in a room with him, alone. He concentrated on his book, but he could not ignore the sound of August rising from his desk and walking closer. His stomach churned, he did not need this after the day he’d had.

August sat backwards in the chair in front of him and yanked his book away, smirking as Vaughn tried to reach for it. August held it in his lap as he leaned on the back of the chair. “I never figured you’d ever get detention.”

Vaughn shrugged, sitting back and crossing his arms.

“What are ya in for? Getting a B minus on a test?” When Vaughn didn’t answer, August held up the book, a finger tucked in the place Vaughn had been reading. “I’ll give it back if you tell me.”

“Why do you care?” Vaughn snapped.

August shrugged. “I’m curious.”

Glaring out the window, Vaughn crossed his arms. “I was late to school, okay? I ended up walking into Barley’s science class halfway through.”

That made August wince. “Damn, shoulda just skipped that, too.”

“You said you’d give me back my book.”

August watched him for a moment. “Why were you late? It’s not like you slept in.”

“I don’t have to tell you this,” Vaughn glared. “Keep the book.”

Resting the book in his lap again, August leaned forward, resting his head in his hand on Vaughn’s desk. “Oh, c’mon, tell me, what else are we going to do?”

“I could be reading.”

“You could, but that wouldn’t be as much fun.”

“This isn’t fun!” He burst. “Nothing about today has been fun!” He didn’t know why, but now that he was talking, he couldn’t stop. “No one told me I needed to pick up Abigail’s insulin after school, so she ran out and I had to pick it up this morning and then get her breakfast and ready for school. Mom remembered to write her a note, but forgot I’d need one too. I’m here because I didn’t want my sister to die.”

August’s eyes were wide. “Woah.” He handed the book back, opening it to the saved page.

Vaughn snatched it and tried to read, but he could no longer concentrate with his boiling frustration. And August hadn’t left. He frowned at August, who still stared. “What?”

“That’s just real fucked up.”

“Yeah.”

“What do ya say we get out of here?”

“What?” Vaughn frowned. “Why?”

August shrugged. “This place blows and it’s not like that jackass is going to come back.”

“No, why would you wanna do that with me? We haven’t really hung out together… Ever…”

That made August sigh and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, look, I…” he sighed. “I kinda started seeing this…” he looked to the side and now Vaughn could see how red his cheeks were getting. “I live with my dad now and he made me go to a therapist…”

Vaughn’s eyes were wide. “What about your mom?”

He sat back, avoiding Vaughn’s gaze. “Jail…”

“Good, that’s where she belongs.”

August grunted.

“Seriously, she was awful to you. Your dad seems a lot better, that’s good. You deserve it.”

August’s eyes snapped to Vaughn’s as he frowned. “I didn’t think you thought any good of me after… Everything.”

Sighing, Vaughn leaned forward. “You were a bully and I got some low grades because you tore up my homework, but you never really beat me up. And after that day I saw your mom… It just… You made more sense to me after that… And you stopped messing with me…” He smiled.

August’s lips curled slowly into a smile. “Yeah…” He leaned forward then, his expression changing into a challenge. “So, wanna ditch this place?”

Vaughn thought for a moment, looked at the door the teacher had left through and then at August. “How would we even leave?”

At that August laughed. “Out the window of course. C’mon, grab that book of yours.”

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr: http://nessiefromspace.tumblr.com/  
> My Borderlands/ fanart tumblr: https://nessiesspeakeasy.tumblr.com/  
> My old Borderlands tumblr: http://nessiefromink.tumblr.com/


End file.
